‘I take thee at thy word’: Trust in Renaissance Literature

full name / name of organization:

Joseph Sterrett / Aarhus University

contact email:

engjs@dac.au.dk

What qualities compose trust and confidence in the Renaissance? What signs call it into question? This seminar seeks to identify points of congruence and contention in sixteenth and seventeenth century notions of trust and how they might be betrayed. From the stage Machiavel who discloses his plans to the audience to the kinsman who pledges his fealty, or the lover who exchanges his faithful vow, how did trust differ across such different domains as religious and political life or familial relations? It is hoped that papers will cross a range of genres including early modern poetry, prose, and drama, as well as major and minor authors. The intended outcome will be to publish suitable papers in a special issue of Textual Practice.